Place Name
Ephraim Potter who along with his business partner William Moore were physic gardeners specialising in the cultivation of Lavender. In 1749 they founded the oldest English toiletries company in Mitcham setting up a distillery to extract Lavender oil. Lavender fragrance was later made popular by Queen Victoria. Mitcham had been known for the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic herbs since the 14thCentury but it had increased on an industrial scale through innovative methods pioneered by Potter and Moore. By 1802 nearly 500 acres of land in Mitcham supported herb growing. The firm is still going strong today, it was bought by Creightons PLC in 2003. This road was laid out on the site of a former fireworks factory.
